Youth mental health is in crisis. Since the early 2010s...

Adolescent depression has doubled, with a "sharp and sustained" increase among girls ⁽¹⁾

Hospital visits for self-harm among girls ages 10–14 have surged by 

over 370% ⁽²⁾

Suicidal ideation has jumped; 1 in 4 teen girls planned or considered suicide in 2021 ⁽³⁾

"The dramatic rise in adolescent anxiety, depression, and suicide correlates closely with the widespread adoption of smartphones over the past 15 years."

 

"I’ve watched students who struggle to make friends not learn how to, because they can retreat into the short-term safety of their phones rather than tolerate the discomfort that often precedes finding one’s way into a conversation."

 

“Phones teach our students to abandon the eyes of the person they’re speaking to in order to glance at a newly arrived text or Snapchat message.”

 

— Russell Shaw, "Why We're Banning Phones at Our School"

 

 

"For mobile phones and social media, high and increasing addictive use were associated with 2-3x greater risk of suicidal behavior and suicidal ideation.

 

Nearly 1 in 2 kids demonstrated “high addictive use” with mobile phones, 1 in 3 with social media, and over 40% with video games."

 

- JAMA, 2025

 

 

By age 4, more than half (58%) of children have their own tablet.

 

 

By age 8, nearly 1 in 4 children have their own phone. By 11 — about half.

Among children 8–12, 40% are already on social media.

 

The solution? Let kids be kids a little longer.

Delco Unplugged is a growing community of families in Delaware County, PA choosing to delay smartphones and social media for our children. Through a shared community pledge, we’re standing united against the pressure to introduce this technology too soon.

 

Delay smartphones until (at least) high school. 

Delay social media until (at least) age 16. 

 

When the time is right for a communication tool, try a basic talk-and-text phone or kid-safe watch. See our Alternative Devices page for some ideas!